Balloonicites
The Balloonicites are a race of jellyfish-like creatures which live in the liquid oxygen oceans of Xoolat and Fertack. They all cooperate in one cohesive unit by communicating via weak electromagnetic pulses. Their technology is expanding but they are yet to reach exoplanetary travel of their own accord. They are part of the Life After The Grox and Life After The Universe RPs. =History= Evolution Long ago on the cryogenically cold planet of Xoolat, roughly 500 Generations (2,000 Xoolat Years, or 20,000 Earth Years) Before Sentience the Ballooniphites appeared around the dark depths of the oceans. They would hunt in packs of 30 to collect swarms of glowing fish, which allowed them the light to hunt for more elusive food sources. Over the next 270 Generations tentacles and more sophisticated organs developed. At that point, the species divided into the Ballooniphites and Balloonicites- the latter of which had decided to move into shallower waters. There was greater competition there, to which the Balloonicites adapted to by developing decent sight and the ability to sense the electromagnetic signals of brains. 30 Generations later some of the Balloonicites had returned to the depths and their vast superiority caused the Ballooniphites to go extinct. The organs continued to develop over the next 150 Generations, with better digestion and improved cognitive efficiency, as well as greater and more precise muscular control. Then, at 50 Generations Before Sentience, there arrived the first signs of a particular avian predator- the Avios. This race of birds began hunting the Balloonicites who strayed too near the surface as well as any other fish, which the Balloonicites would have otherwise ate. For the next 50 Generations there was very little they could do other than avoid the surface. Then, finally, at Generation Zero, a Balloonicite discovered discovery. Early Sentience The Generation of Balloonicites in which sentience was discovered is refered to as Generation Zero, for time-keeping purposes. A Generation is equivalent to 4 Xoolat Years, or 40 Earth Years. Sentience all began by the accidental discovery of discovery itself. A curious Balloonicite was idly handling a rock with its prehensile tentacles. Suddenly, it was taken by surprise by a fish analogus to a shark. It swung around to get a better view of it and the rock it was holding also spun around and smacked the shark-like fish across the face. This caused mild injury to the fish and it fled. But more importantly, the Balloonicite had discovered that rock=weapon. It didn't realise it, but it also discovered that it could discover things and draw conclusions from them. Thus it became the First Thinker, a caste of Balloonicites which devote their lives to analysis, scientific thinking and experimentation, solving problems, organising the other Balloonicites and other mental challenges such as that. It rounded up a bunch of other Balloonicites and taught them about learning. To achieve this they had to develop a method of communication and, behold!, they communicated the outline of their thoughts directly via their electromagnetic sense. They developed into a tribe, created shelters to protect them and gathered foods from the elements and wild animals and managed to domesticate, to an extent, the bioluminescent species of fish which they had historically hunted and farmed them for a little additional food and a source of light. When the time came for the next Generation to be born, the newfound knowledge would have to be transferred. Those who gave birth late (as Balloonicites invariably die during labour) were to cram as much of the learnt facts into the memories of the newborns and hope that collectively enough stuck for the ways of the Thinking Balloonicites to continue. This was successfuly enough for them to grown and expand. But they had a threat to deal with. The Avios. War and Arms Race Against the Avios Not long before the First Generation began the Thinking Balloonicites, now armed, decided that they could fight back against the Avios. This war would continue for nearly 22 Generations (or 880 Earth years)! It is also the biggest part of the development of the Balloonicites and Avios, as it forced them to advance or go extinct in a massive arms race. Originally the Balloonicites struck out in groups of 30 at diving Avios with crude stone swords, spears and clubs, then dragged the stunned bird down with their stinging tentacles until it drowned. This wasn't always successful, as the Balloonicites had to preempt the spot where the Avios would land, and then hit them enough before they took off again. An early effective weapon against them were nets. These nets were at first carried around by the same Balloonicites, to tangle the Avios up without having to perform perfectly-executed blows. The nets were also used to hunt for fish. Later these nets were floated by balloons made from fish guts and laid as passive traps for Avios hunting near Balloonicite territory, although the Avios discovered they could disarm them by simply dropping heavy rocks on them. Needing a way to hunt down the Avios in the air, they tried throwing spears. Although this had some effect, it was very inefficient for a creature without proper arms. Around half way through the 3rd Generation they invented the bow. But as they failed the power to draw the bow, they immediately built a device which could do it for them. The end result was the crossbow. This gave them a slight advantage. It also meant that mobility for airborne Avios was now an issue, meaning they had to decide between carrying heavy rocks to disable net traps or being fast enough to minimise the chances of getting hit. One strategy the Balloonicites also had was to expand outwards. Halfway through the 1st Generation two new villages were set up. Around the start of the 3rd two more were developed. They were also working on constantly converting wild Balloonicites into sentient Balloonicites. But they were generally constricted to living in the under-sea parts of the spire-like mountains which make up the landmasses of Xoolat, not because they were incapable of going above the sea (they could, but only last up to a day), but because the Avios inhabited much of the mountains above the sea. Avios inhabiting land above Balloonicite villages would roll boulders down the sheer slopes, hoping to crush them. The Balloonicites soon countered this by building ramp-like walls which deflected most of the boulders. The war continued as a series of raids for food and defences against such raids for several Generations. Soon after the beginning of the 6th Generation one town had an unlucky discovery made by an artisan crafting some stone tools. The chipping of the stones, by sheer chance, caused a spark. This spark, also by sheer chance, made contact with something vaguely flammable. Then all hell broke loose, as the liquid oxygen the planet was drenched in caused excessive oxidisation for the fire and it spread through the town in seconds. The moment it touched the surface, with the atmosphere made from hydrogen, the inferno changed into an intense fireball, cascading up the mountain and incinerating everything in its path, also evaporating the surrounding ocean. This evaporation, while fuelling the local fire, is a phenomena that meant the fire could not spread horizontally as there was insufficient oxygen in the area and by the time the void filled back in there was no more fire as it had consumed all of its fuel. This was a devastating blow, not only to the Balloonicites but also to the Avios living on top of that mountain. A Generation later the Balloonicites finally dared to not only return to the bruned-out village but also to check out the mountain above. It was discovered that the Avios had left it mostly uninhabited, so the Balloonicites were quickly able to claim the lower sections of that land as their own. To increase above-sea survival time they used buckets to carry up liquid oxygen to respirate in when needed. Several machines designed specifically for use above-sea were made because of this habitation. The crane was made, which converted force to allow the lifting of heavy objects, which weren't quite so heavy submerged. They also scaled-up the crossbow into a ballista, to defend against any potential hordes. Along with it they devised other seige-weapons, such as a spring-powered catapult and a counter-weight powered throwing arm called a trebuchet. In roughly 2 Xoolat years (1/2 Generation) the concept of medical care was also concieved. It was noticed that a few Balloonicites which ate mostly a particulart plant as their diet did not contract particular diseases to nearly the same degree as others. The Thinkers managed to assosciate this increase in health as a result of the consumption of those certain plants, and were able to create mildly effective medicines. Treatment of non-fatal wounds was also developed at around this time. A Generation later, at some time around half-way through Generation 8, there was the first time the Balloonicites and Avios had a full-scale battle. The Avios advanced on the above-sea settlement, but the Ballooncites were capable to fending them off with their defence system of crossbowmen and ballastae. A bit over a Generation after that, at Generation 9 3/4, the Balloonicites discovered something rather incredible. Electricity. One particular natural phenomena on Xoolat is that, around the surface of the oceans, something almost identicle to a will-o-wisp may occur when hydrogen and oxygen combine, producing energy which may present itself as neon light. The Balloonicites had known of its existence much earlier than this, but only now did they equate the phenomena to some kind of energy release. In the next Generation they created a device which would combine oxygen and hydrogen around neon gas to produce light as an alternative to the glow-fish. In the 10th Generation two new towns were also founded. In the later 10th Generation the Balloonicites made another handy invention. Writing. This invention would allow more accurate records of inventions and activities to be kept for the reference of current Balloonicites and to aide in the teaching of new Balloonicites. Their script appeared as some form of overlapping wave-like squiggles, and was traditionally written in iron oxide. Record keeping is done almost solely by the Scribes, a new caste made for this purpose. In the early 11th Generation came a day that no Balloonicite wanted to come. An army of Avios attacked one of their towns, but this time with iron tools. This sudden advancement was bad for the Balloonicites, since now the Avios were ahead in the arms race and that was the Balloonicites' only advantage. Having suffered a sudden loss, the Balloonicites needed something fast. Half a Generation later they got what they were looking for. The Thinkers managed to reproduce the events causing the massive fireball 5 Generations ago without killing everyone. They had discovered fire! Using this they soon created a way to safely weaponising it (involving sending someone with some flints to the enemy town and setting it alight. One lost Balloonicite was considered safe if it didn't have to be done often). They then struck out and destroyed an Avios town in the early 12th Generation. It didn't take them long after that to search the town and find out how to make the iron. The iron ore was to be heated so it melted, at least partially, and then shaped. The Balloonicites realised that they had the jackpot of all jackpots of iron ore down on the bottom of the ocean. Iron became a powerful new weapon and tool of the Balloonicites quickly, soon replaced by steel and then stainless steel. In the 15th Generation furnaces were more powerful as they pumped in liquid oxygen to increase the heat but in a controlled way so as to not destroy everyone. Part way through the 16th Generation the Balloonicites finally invented the wheel. It wasn't of as much use as other inventions of the wheel on other worlds, because there was next to no flat land that wasn't buried under at least a kilometre of liquid oxygen and nitrogen. But it did help to reduce the working load on cranes pulling heavy things up the mountansides and could be modified to help with other machines. Also in this Generation was the founding of one new town, an asteroid strike and the invention of Astronomy. In the late 18th Generation, a propellant (which didn't cause fires) was discovered. It was immediately put to use for weaponry, and the gun was born. As was charcteristic of them, they scaled it up to make a cannon as well. Both of these proved much more effective than the crossbow and catapults so they ended up being mostly outmoded. Battles continued for several more Generations. The Balloonicites were holding their ground effectively but so were the Avios, even with the recent invention of the Balloonicite submarine which allowed troops to reach an Avios settlement uder cover and take plenty of supplies with them. It is worth noting that the predecessor of the submarine, the simple boat, had been around for substantially longer, but as it was exposed to the air it could only be used for transporting goods where it was safe to be out in the open. Then in the early 22nd Century, mutual destruction was all but assured when the Avios dropped a little burning bag on one of the Balloonicite towns, as payback for the multiply times the Balloonicites did so to them. This was a shocking turn of events, to which the Balloonicites created a building which was immune to fire attacks and also a substantial amount of conventional attacks called a bunker to protect the population against any recurrances of the use of this strategic weapon. Development of Astronomy About 3/4 of the way through Generation 16 an asteroid from the asteroid belt it was in the middle of struck Xoolat in the middle of an ocean. There was a rather large shockwave resulting. No serious damage was done, but that was only because it was isolated. The Balloonicites had never had reason to look up into the starry sky before (which was actually rather good for observing as the atmosphere was thinner than Earth's, the sunlight is negligible, there are almost never any clouds and there are many really tall mountains), so they had never done so, but now they were concerned that this might happen again. To keep an eye out they invented Astronomy, the observation of the stars, and a vartiation of the Thinkers called Astronomers. The Balloonicites were methodical workers, and they decided to chart the stars to help. Tools were soon made which helped make measuring easier. The results of these charts were compared with charts made in other locations and times. Slight differences in the charts, outside their margins of error, were an interesting anomaly. But they had no way to process these results. So half way through the 17th Generation they created Mathematics. The Balloonicites, with their computer-like methods of group thinking, made the perfect mathematicians. They managed to discover the effects of paralax, objects which orbit around the Sun and more down-to-earth applications such as geometry. This mathematical precision allowed for better crafting and building. It wasn't long before the Astronomers figured out the effects of gravity, the size of their planet and many other things. This was all helped by the new invention of the telescope, which also helped for looking at things on Xoolat that are far away, such as Avios armies. Astronomy also helped supply better navigation and more accurate maps. Laws of motion and other aspects of the physics of material objects were also developed. The only bounds to their Mathematics was the technology for measuring it and knowledge of the subject matter. Division of Realities As was the nature of the Multiverse at the time, there were two main parallel dimensions, called the HACC and the LATG. The history of Xoolat in these two Universes remained identical until roughly half way through the 22nd Generation. Around this time they were each met by different aliens. LATG Soon the Avios sent out a second fire strike on one of the Balloonicite towns. But this time the Balloonicites were able to hide in their bunkers. They were crammed and lacked proper ventilation and emergancy supplies, but as the inferno swiftly consumed all flammable objects in the town (but the stone and steel buildings were mostly fine if not slightly warped) it was proved that the bunkers were in fact fire-proof. As the Avios settled in the mountain above the Balloonicites left their bunker. They gathered some weapons and then charged up the mountain and forced the Avios out by surprise. Later and elsewhere a Balloonicite realised that guns, with their propellant, not only pushed bullets out but also pushed the gun back. They managed to apply this to create a rocket. It was a crude thing, but they were working on improving it so they could fling things which will cause ignition from great distances at the Avios towns. Not too long afterwards a UFO landed on Xoolat, containing interstellar vermin which were infesting the LATG Universe at the time. Fortunately for Xoolat the vermin died of the sheer cold very soon after exiting the ship. The Balloonicites found it and collected the dead creatures and later managed to move the ship properly into their territory. From curiosity the Balloonicites dissected the vermin to study their bodies. Interested at what they found, they also dissected a deceased Avios and Balloonicite. This gave them a knowledge of the workings of the body and initiated the science of Biology, which helped in the medical field. The Balloonicites then attempted to perform reverse engineering on the ship. It was not as simple as it sounds, as many of the technologies on it required other technologies in order to be understood which were also beyond the Balloonicites at the time. They did manage to deliberate the workings of the electrical generator, with the spinning magnets inside the coil, and the electromagnet followed suite, as well as the concept of circuitry which they managed to get to work on a fundamental level a little while later. While they were reverse engineering it, they also figured out how to fly the spaceship. After a few initial trial runs, the Balloonicites flew it off to an Avios town. They began bombardment and would have continued if the Avios hadn't hurled an explosive at them. The ship was unharmed, but they did not want to risk destroying the secret to the technology of explosives. So they headed back and sent out a submarine-based strike force. Unfortunately the attack failed, so the secret to explosives remained secret. The Balloonicites continued work into electronics. They figured out how to make a clock and made simple logic gates, although they were yet to apply the latter. Then three large spherical ships, a lot like the one which landed earlier, were spotted flying around the upper atmosphere. These ships were controlled by the Hyuld, a powerful new race intent on destroying the Universe, and was going very well at it. To combat them, the Balloonicites attempted to fire thermal missiles at them. They managed to strike, but the fire did nothing to the strong metal hulls. Then the Hyuld opened laser fire on the planet. Immediately it was engulfed in flame and it began to burn and evaporate down through the ocean. The Avios were the first to die, while the Balloonicites hid in their shelters. A group of about 1000 Balloonicites crammed the ship they had with as much recorded knowledge as they could muster then made a hasty retreat from the planet as every living thing boiled then vapourised. A chase was made after the retreating ship holding the Balloonicites. The last Balloonicites in the LATG reality would have died were it not for extreme fortune and the fact that the Universe was literally being torn apart by apocalyptic forces, as their ship was engulfed in a dimensional rift. The ship ended up drifitng in the Void. There was nothing. This disturbed the Balloonicites. Then they found something. A lone planet. They flew in and cautiously landed in a spaceship hangar. They sat there nervously as strange shadows flitted about outside in the air. Soon the outside temperature was set to somewhere below the boiling point of oxygen, prompting the Balloonicites to send out a small group (of 30) to investigate. They were told by the Shadows that they could be moved to another reality, where there were other Balloonicites, still living safely on Xoolat. But when asked to relenquish their ship, as it wasn't actually theirs, the Balloonicites furiously declined. The Shadows soon relented, and whisked the Balloonicites away to some point about a thousand or so years (Earth Years, probably) prior in HACC inside a cave-like airbubble inside a mountain on Xoolat, where they were put into stasis in the ship. HACC The HACC Xoolat was also visited by aliens, but different ones. These aliens were the Sizzz-Shling. They appeared above the sky in a big spherical metal object which came to be known as a space-ship. Both the Balloonicites and the Avios feared it was a weapon from the other side, but the ship soon learned their language by remote analysis and contacted them. The Sizzz-Shling appeared to be an all-powerful and benelovent race to the Xoolatians. They set up a strange green bubble around Xoolat- a device known as an Ommatter Shield. They explained that this would protect them from the looming end of the Multiverse. This fact upset them a bit, but they managed to live with it. The Sizzz-Shling also noticed the ongoing war between the Balloonicites and Avios. They decided to try sorting it out diplomatically. They discussed with both sides, and after some pondering the Balloonicites answered that the only reason they were having this war still would be because of food (the answer from the Avios was similar). The Sizzz-Shling decided to fix the food crisis by teaching the Avios to farm. Cave-like bubbles in the spires/mountains would do nicely for breeding fish to eat. One other step to stopping the food crisis and war was the discovery of cooking. The Avios had realised that those who work in very hot workplaces such as the forges tended to have better nutrition. They managed to link this to mild burning of their lunches. They decided to encounter the Balloonicites personally for the first time to tell them this. The chosen Avios was sent with a basket of food as a peace offering to facilitate the deliverance of the message. Once it got there, the Balloonicite it had gone up to and attempted speaking to reached out with it's tentacles, not quite touching the Avios' head, and sent a telepathic message along the lines of "Pardon?". That was the first word actually shared between the Avios of Balloonicites. The Balloonicites tried this arcane new art called cooking, cautiously at first, and found that what the Avios had told them was true. Implementing this technique, they were able to decrease their food useage without cutting effective serving portions. It was decided, with tensions lowered against the Balloonicites and Avios, that their perpetual war shall finally be called to an end. Now that fighting was over, the Xoolatians were offered a position in the MOSSA, an alliance of inter-stellar beings such as the Shizz-Shling. They accepted and became junior members. As allies, the Balloonicites and Avios decided to have a technological merger, sharing their advancements and current technology for the good of both of their nations. The Avios were making their cavernous fish farms when they stumbled across what appeared to look like an old Shizz-Shling spaceship in the cave. They opened it up to be greeted by a bunch of Balloonicites. Except these Balloonicites were hostile and attacked the Avios on sight. The Avios retreated, captured the Balloonicites in a net and called their allied Balloonicites to explain. A conversation between the two parties of Balloonicites revealed that the ones in the spaceship were from another reality. The LATG reality, which had ended recently. The LATG Balloonicites were filled in on how things worked in the HACC Xoolat and the LATG Balloonicites were able to merge into society. However, they had a distrust for the Shizz-Shling, as their ships look similar to the ones which destroyed their home in LATG, despite the Shizz-Shling claiming it wasn't them who destroyed LATG Xoolat, and the Shizz-Shling wanted to reposses the ship because it would cause unbalanced and non-independant development of technology. The LATG Balloonicites refused to hand it over and the Shizz-Shling relented. The LATG Balloonicites also share technology with the HACC Balloonicites. This mainly included the electronics and electrical stuff. This allowed for many interesting devices such as clocks, lights and coil-guns. The Balloonicites also invented something else. They discovered a chemical which would delay the event of their kind giving birth. This allowed for them to separate the times in which everybody would divide into new Balloonicites so that the population wouldn't burst by an order of magnitude (and become predominately juvenile) in a short amount of time and mostly stay stagnant for the next 4 Xoolat Years, but be an even growth of population. However, it was discovered that this chemical in large enough quantities was lethal, and would stay in the body for at the very least a very long time and was also transferred to the newborns. But the Balloonicites decided they could handle it as long as only small doses were given. Around this time the Mikilo, another alien and member of the MOSSA, visited the Avios. Time continued to tick on. Cosmic storms began to devour to Universe outside the protective Ommatter bubble the Shizz-Shling had tasked themselves on maintaining and hammer on the shields around the planets. It was decided that members of the MOSSA and other species should be transported to a new Universe the Shizz-Shling had created to avoid the death of the Multiverse, in case the Ommatter was insufficient to save them. The Xoolatians were going to take the ship the LATG Balloonicites came in, but the Shizz-Shling warned that the ship was not supposed to carry that many. Instead they supplied five colony-purpose ships. 30,000 Balloonicites (most of them close to giving birth) and 20,000 Avios set off in these ships to the new Universe. Now that the Xoolatians had sent off some of their kind to safety, and the Cataclysm was drawing near, they felt there was little more they could do to that would not be futile. This was a very depressing time on Xoolat. When the Universe did finally end, the Shizz-Shling were able to move all the Ommatter-covered planets and galaxies to the new universe- Latu, including Xoolat. Life After the Universe Pre-Reunification Fertack The fleet of 5 ships that were sent out of the Multiverse to escape the cataclysm entered LATU safely and began searching Cosmos for a suitable planet to colonise. This process took many years and was still going after the arrival of everyone else from the HACC, but the inhabitants were in suspended animation so they didn't notice anything. Eventually a suitable planet was found orbiting a star which was later named Hivot. Compared to Xoolat, the planet was a much flatter one, significantly larger and was mostly made of land. The oceans were located only at the poles. This planet was named Fertack. As the ships entered the solar system, they passed through a solar flare dosing everyone onboard with mild amounts of radiation. This was unknown to everyone and the effects were not immediately apparent or notably serious. As the ships approached the planet the ex-Xoolatians were awoken from stasis in time to observe their new homeland from orbit. However, something faltered in the landing procedures for an unknown reason causing all five ships to crash land in separate locations across the Northern face of the planet. These locations were at the Equator, the North Pole, the Far Edge of the North Pole, North-West of the Equator and Eastwards Edge of the North Pole. The North Pole was in a zone entirely made from ocean. The Equator and North-West of the Equator was in a zone made entirely out of land. The Far Edge of the North Pole and Eastwards Edge of the North Pole were near or in the coastal region. These sites would make up the major towns. An issue was quick to arise amongst the Balloonicite population. Most of the Balloonicites which had been sent were close to their reproductive stage, in order to increase the population of the colony on arrival. However, baby Balloonicites being virtually defenceless, this plan was incredibly flawed. This was not aided by the lack of liquid oxygen and nitrogen on land, the only supply being inside the crashed ships. Despite this, the Fertackites sought to develop a civilisation. Plants called 'trees' had been discovered which made an excellent and easily manipulated structural material. Diverse land life was discovered, which was surprising to the ex-Xoolatians. It was also found that the planet was much larger than Xoolat, so getting to the poles would be very hard. Fertack also has a moon. This is a new phenomenon to the ex-Xoolatians, but they understand it well enough. To start with the Fertackites had been harvesting required resources from the crashed ships. However, such a method would not last forever. They began working on developing agriculture to make an independant food source. It was also required to find metal. The Avios had experience in the art of prospecting, so that helped a lot. They also utilised a metal-detector made from a strong magnet and a Balloonicite to search for veins of iron. It was soon discovered that the ships had a communications system. It was not long before all the ships developed telecommunications contact with each other. This would make co-operation and sharing of knowledge possible. It was declared, that as a central point for global map-making, that the Eastwards Edge of the North Pole town would be a capital city. This decision was made on the basis that both Balloonicites and Avois could easily inhabit it and it was closer to the other towns than the Far Edge of the North Pole. Recreating technologies would be of little difficulty, as they brought along with them as many copies of the technological records as they could. It is not long before houses and buildings are appearing around the crashed ships. These buildings become the basis of the towns which would form. On Fertack the Fertackites find many strange new plants, animals and metals. Uses for them are sought after. They also discover much more varied weather and giant animals (mega-fauna). The Balloonicites population is also in crisis, with increasingly fewer Balloonicites being old enough to work. And there are concerns about the upbringing of the baby Balloonicites if they are not brought up in a natural enviornment. The Avios find geographical features called rivers that could be used to have the Balloonicites swim up to the poles. However, the techniques and methods have to be analysed and compared closely. With a crisis on their hands, a solution needed to be found fast. Carrying that many Balloonicites to the rivers would be impractical. An automated cart could not be invented in such a short time-span. But luckily somebody discovered the escape pods, which looked similar to small space-ships. This idea was the favoured one and they quickly got to work on calibrating the system. Weaponry is also under advance in Fertack. The Avios create a new ammunition system for their guns for hunting called an ammo clip, which consisted of a row of bullets which would be fired one at a time. This would save a lot of time in reloading. Soon the mass-exodus to the North Pole was ready. 24 thousand Balloonicites were soon rocketed across the planet and into the ocean, finally with enough space to move and feed. However, as they were unarmed, it was expected that many of them would probably die before reaching any towns. This was of little consequence to the Balloonicites, as long as enough of them made it. A little later an alien probe entered the system, attempting the contact the Fertackites. They hesitantly, then excitedly, discover that it is the Shizz-Shling. They decline their offer to be returned to Xoolat but request some form of contact between them and Xoolat. Xoolat Xoolat along with the rest of the Andinoin system had safely survived transfer across the void to Cosmos. The Shizz-Shling are soon to check up on them. It is noticed during the communication (using a salvaged radio communicator) that the signal being sent is almost identical to their electromagnetic brainwave language. This leads to the discovery and invention of radio. For the Balloonicites, this can also double as a loud-speaker. The Shizz-Shling promise to make efforts to find the missing refuge ships. Another invention made is that of flight. The Avios share the secrets of flight with the Balloonicites and they collaborate to create a flying machine, in the form of a glider powered by a propellor. This invention also drives the invention of the electric motor, which would have virtually limitless applications, such as in cranes, tools and other transports. The Xoolatians also convince MOSSA to allow them to send a representative party to their homeworld to represent the Balloonicites and Avios. The Shizz-Shling agree and take them to Sinomo-Wilum, the headquarters of the MOSSA. The Xoolatians are utterly amazed by the advanced technology, and manage to learn something from the atmospheric suits the Shizz-Shling give them. The discussion they enter is that of deciding how the constant conflicts among the Drakons and affiliates should be handled. They manage to contribute with a few comments here and there. Meanwhile an Avios noticed something in the communication of groups of Ballooniciets and equated it to the Balloonicites invention of the logic gate. This gave birth to the concept of the computer. The Avios pioneer this idea, with the Balloonicites developing on it later. Around this time the Shizz-Shling contact the Xoolatians and inform them that the refugees had been located. The Xoolatians receive this news with joy. At the same time the Shizz-Shling ask whether the Xoolatians would like to have samples collected for storage for emergancy cloning. After getting filled in on the details, the Xoolatians agree, on the condition that it is only to be used if they go extinct. Post-Reunification The Fertackites and Xoolatians both receive interstellar communicators. The first contact is made by two Avios. After pleasantries were exchanged the Balloonicites took over communications and began to share information and knowledge. This would become a frequent thing, with sharing happening once every Fertack Day. Fertack Ctiy size starts growing rapidly under the new developments of the car (used for materials transport) and tree plantations. Electricity becomes a concern as they were yet to figure out how to control the vast amounts of energy coming their new combustion power plants. After they figure out that they can convert one 'form' of power into another they then find that rotary generators produce a strange kind of electricity which pulses and doesn't like to be out of sync. Meanwhile a new weapon is developed to stave off fears of the mega-fauna. It is a magnetically powered computer controlled artillery called a rail-gun. After a long prototype phase, and the later invention of more precise manufacturing, it became an extremely fearsome and powerful weapon. The Shizz-Shling in fact wanted this weapon for their own. The Balloonicites manage to barter the rail-guns design in exchange for the prinicples of fusion power plants (which had been present on the acquired LATG Balloonicite ship). While the fusion reactor itself is way beyond the Fertackites, they were able to deduce a few things from the principles. One was that the world was made of lots of normally unchnagable particles (although fusion and fission breaks those rules). The other was a few tips of heat-to-electricity transfer, which was soon applied to their existing power plants. Meanwhile energy problems were being figured out. The multi-generator problem was fixed. They found a way to change generator-style electricity into battery-style electricity and vice versa. They also discovered that electricity was made of two parts (Current and Voltage). All this together gives them a much greater knowledge of the way electricity works. Then finally a mega-fauna attacks a farm near the Equator town. The farmers and their weapons were ineffective against the monster but it draws it away. The local science team manages to test their rail-gun prototype of the monster. While the monster is too heavily armour to be penetrated by the shells, it does suffer from blunt trauma and evetually goes down. The fur is collected to study its defensive properties and the monster is cooked up to eat. It raises the interesting idea of farming mega-fauna. It is soon found that for some unknown reason Fertackite Balloonicites were going through the reproductive cycle 4 times faster than Xoolatian Balloonicites. A reason is being searched for. Xoolat Computers are growing in usefulness. They are found to have applications in controlling machines very precisely and are used in basic manufacturing. A new caste, Programmers, is developed to work on the task of advancing them. They find new minerals and apply them to multiple new components. To deal with food issues the Xoolatians set up very big nets in which to farm fish. These are found to be very effective. Meanwhile the Xoolatians assist the Fertackites in understanding electricity. Also in collaboration they create extremely precise computerised manufacturing machines, which will make things of unprecedented quality and precision. And particle theory becomes a topic of discussion between Avios philosophers. It is soon decided that the most likely theory is that base particles (Elements) form more complex materials (Molecules) by a magnetic field. A project that had been in work ever since the ambassadors returned was some way for the Avios to go under the surface of the ocean without drowning. This ended up being a reinforced water-tight steel ball. This was a historic event, as never before had an Avios been underwater to visit the Balloonicite homes. The lucky Avios met the sights of the ocean life with awe and suffered no adverse health affects. Soon afterways a meeting is called, for the topic of making a unified Standard Measuring System. After a lot of development and testing they eventually get this done. With no major issues left to deal with, researchers go to working on many minor fields. (See table below) A major project is the identification of what makes up the 'base materials', by means of many chemistry experiments. Research Projects Key: Main Planet of Development - Technology - Status *Xoolat - Sight - Under additional research *Xoolat - Super-conductors - Complete *Xoolat - Liquid Oxygen/Frost cycle rebalancing - Complete *Shared - Fertack populations growing faster than expected - Under development *Xoolat - Cells making up living things - Under research *Fertack - Domesticating mega-fauna - Under research *Fertack - Replicating monster's fur armour - Complete, mostly *Xoolat - Population dynamics - Under additional research *Xoolat - Elements of matter - Under research *Fertack - Magnetic computer scrambling protection - Complete, Under additional research *Xoolat - Reprogrammable computers - Under further development *Xoolat - Hygeine - Complete *Xoolat - Energetic Materials - Under further research Category:Life After the Grox Category:Life After the Universe Category:Sapient